What is light? Who is Tadao Ando?

What is light?

Light something that is something that makes things visible or afford illumination.

Tadao Ando was born in 1941 in Osaka, Japan. Ando spent most of his time outdoors and was raised by his grandmother. At a young age Ando worked as a carpenter, where he learned how to work with wood and built numerous model of ships and airplanes. He said that he preferred learning things on his own rather than in a class room. At the age of 18 he began visiting buildings and studying them. He studied architecture by going to see actual buildings and reading books about them. Le Corbusier was one of Ando's biggest inspirations.

He uses light and empty space to create. The Church of Light is a building he is known for. It's one of the simplest designs. The Church of Light is located in Osaka, Japan. The floor descends in stages towards the altar, which is next to the rear wall, who's horizontal and vertical openings form a cross, flooding the whole church with light. The strong source of light gives spectators a feeling of something infinite beyond.

“Walls are the most basic elements of architecture, and in all my works, light is an important factor.”-Tadao Ando

Light influences all of Ando's buildings. Ando’s architecture is made of the simplest and most neutral cement surfaces. The softness of these, contrast the light that comes in almost caressing them. Ando’s architecture is also all light and reflection. He uses the flatness and neutral tone of the cement, to show off the different vibrations, ripples, textures of the water. Water is also the element to create light surfaces, to reflect light and to show depth. Through the way light is received by the water and by the soft cement, infinite conditions of light and dark are created.

“Entering a building requires an act of will and an awareness for the architecture.”-Tadao Ando

Le Corbusier was one of Ando's biggest influences growing up. Corbusier used concrete walls and believed in illumination.